October 7–16
Originally conceived in 1999, the simple idea to 

test the power of the sun in 10 contests grew into 

one of the most ambitious and inspiring events 

in the country — the Solar Decathlon.

The 2005 Solar Decathlon will challenge 

18 college teams from around the globe in 

10 contests to see which team can design, build, 

and operate the most livable and energy-efficient 

completely solar-powered house. And, while the 

competition will crown a first-place finisher, this 

truly is a competition we all win. The students 

will demonstrate through their work winning 

choices about living with abundance, style, and 

comfort using only the power of the sun. That’s 

the promise of the Solar Decathlon.

The Competition

The 2005 Solar Decathlon will be the second 

competition sponsored by the U.S. Department 

of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and 

Renewable Energy with partners the National 

Renewable Energy Laboratory, BP, the DIY 

Network, the American Institute of Architects, 

and the National Association of Home Builders. 

With the support of the sponsors, the students 

are pursuing solar engineering and design 

excellence, and will prove that the time for 

solar energy is now!

Like the sensible dwellings from years gone by, 

today’s solar houses connect with nature to take 

advantage of heat and light from the sun, as 

well as cooling breezes and shading. But these 

homes take those low-tech, natural advantages 

and crank them way up. Solar Decathlon homes 

combine proven design solutions with the latest 

high-tech products to create homes that not 

only reduce utility bills, but also meet their own 

energy needs and powerfully improve on all the 

comforts of home.

In fall 2005, student teams will transport their 

completed solar homes from campus to the 

National Mall in Washington, D.C., creating a 

“Solar Village,” born from their imaginations 

and creativity. This village will show we can 

live our modern lifestyle, where we work hard, 

move fast, and demand convenience and 

comfort, while using less energy.

To deliver on that promise, the students will 

spend more than a year building their 800-

square-foot homes and preparing for the 

competition. During the 10-day competition, 

students will test their homes in contests 

encompassing all the ways we use energy in our 

daily lives. Contests range from architecture, 

livability, and comfort to how well the homes 

perform tasks such as heating water and 

powering appliances. And, each team must 

provide enough solar electricity to power an 

electric car. The winner of the Solar Decathlon 

will be the team that best blends aesthetics and 

modern conveniences with maximum energy 

production and optimal efficiency.

Today’s Students, 

Tomorrow’s Leaders

While the sun is the namesake of the 

competition, the students and their amazing 

work are the cornerstone of the event. Today’s 

students are tomorrow’s engineers, architects, 

entrepreneurs, and homeowners — and the Solar 

Decathlon will encourage them to incorporate 

solar energy into their future careers and 

personal lives.

Just like the Olympic decathletes, the students 

will draw on all of their strengths, including 

design and architecture, engineering and 

performance, and education and promotion. The 

teams will rely on expertise from all disciplines 

as they spend months fund raising, planning, 

designing, analyzing, and finally building and 

improving their homes. The future engineers 

will collaborate with the future architects to 

create houses that are designed not only to look 

beautiful but to perform beautifully too. 

The Solar Decathletes have a big job ahead of 

them, and they will tackle the job with energy, 

ingenuity, and perseverance. The students 

will learn a tremendous amount from the 

competition and inspire the world to imagine 

a brighter future.

18 TEAMS,

10 CONTESTS,

and WE ALL WIN
Capturing the 

Imagination of a Nation

While the Solar Decathlon is primarily a student 

competition, it is also a living laboratory where 

concept meets reality. From October 7–11 and 

October 13–16, 2005, visitors are welcome to 

stroll through the Solar Village and see first 

hand the solar energy and energy efficiency 

technologies available today.

The inaugural Solar Decathlon in 2002 attracted 

a large and enthusiastic public crowd, with more 

than 100,000 people visiting the competition. 

Testimonials included “Outstanding. The homes 

of the future are here today” and “Absolutely 

terrific display. There are some wonderful 

ideas here.” 

Visitors toured the Solar Village and learned 

strategies to reduce their consumption of fossil 

fuels and to lower their utility bills. Visitors also 

learned that using renewable energy sources, 

such as solar, can help increase domestic 

energy security.

The 2002 competition also attracted exceptional 

media attention and was covered by many of 

the nation’s most distinguished and well-known 

media organizations. Hundreds of stories appeared 

in newspapers, magazines, and on the Internet 

in publications including The New York Times, 

The Washington Times, the Washington Post, and 

the Los Angeles Times. The inaugural event also 

garnered 45 known television and radio stories, 

highlighted by a story on Today on NBC, the 

nation’s top-ranked morning news show, as well 

as stories on National Public Radio and by the 

Associated Press network.

Also during the competition, more than 20,000 

people visited the Solar Decathlon Web site each 

day (www.solardecathlon.org) to track their 

favorite team, view daily photos, and learn more 

about solar energy and energy efficiency. In all, 

the Web site received nearly 3 million hits.

the 2005

SOLAR 

DECATHLON 

TEAMS

• California Polytechnic State University – 

San Luis Obispo

• Carnegie Mellon, The Art Institute of 

Pittsburgh, and University of Pittsburgh

• Concordia University and Université de 

Montréal

• Cornell University

• Crowder College

• Florida International University

• New York Institute of Technology

• Rhode Island School of Design

• Universidad Politécnica de Madrid

• University of Colorado – Denver and Boulder

• University of Maryland

• University of Massachusetts – Dartmouth

• University of Michigan

• University of Missouri – Rolla and 

the Rolla Technical Institute

• University of Puerto Rico – Mayagüez

• University of Texas at Austin

• Virginia Polytechnic Institute and 

State University

• Washington State University 
Produced for the U.S. Department of Energy by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL),

a DOE national laboratory • DOE/GO-102005-2116 • April 2005

Printed with a renewablesource ink on paper 

containing at least 50% 

wastepaper, including 20% 

postconsumer waste.

FOR MORE

INFORMATION

Richard King

U.S. Department of Energy

1000 Independence Ave., SW

Washington, DC 20585-0121

Phone: 202-586-1693

Fax: 202-586-8148

richard.king@ee.doe.gov

Cécile Warner

National Renewable Energy Laboratory

Mail Stop 3214

1617 Cole Blvd.

Golden, CO 80401-3393

Phone: 303-384-6516

Fax: 303-384-6490

cecile_warner@nrel.gov

2002

WINNERS

The University of 

Colorado – Boulder 

1st Place 

The University of Virginia

2nd Place 

Auburn University

3rd Place 

Web site: www.solardecathlon.org

Toll-free number: 1-800-368-1311